Is it perhaps time for Mr Williams (EDDC CEO and Election Officer) to consider his position(s)?

THIS YEAR’S FIASCO AFFECTS 9,000 POSTAL VOTES

“A total of 9,000 postal voters in East Devon have been reassured after a mistake meant their slips did not have the correct security mark.

A statement has been issued today by the Acting Returning Officer for the East Devon Constituency (Mark Williams) to reassure postal voters who have not yet returned their postal votes.

He said: “It has come to my attention that the postal vote packs we issued on 25th May contained voting slips that did not have an official security mark visible on the front of the ballot paper. This has affected a total of 9,000 postal voters.

“I want to reassure those postal voters affected that if they have not yet returned their postal votes they should still do so. We have taken all the necessary steps to ensure the postal votes are valid and will be counted. I apologise for the error but want to reassure postal voters that they should still complete their postal voting statements and return their postal voting envelopes back to me for validating as part of the normal postal voting process.

“To be valid, a postal vote has to be accompanied by a valid postal voting statement containing the voters date of birth and signature. After these are checked, the envelope containing the postal voting slip is opened and the slip is put into a sealed ballot box where it is kept safe until the formal count. My postal vote opening teams will ensure that all validly completed postal votes are double checked so that they will go forward to the count along with all the other votes that will be cast on polling day itself.”

There is a second issue of postal votes tomorrow (31st May) and all the postal voting slips will have the appropriate security mark. Similarly all ballot papers issued at the polling stations will have the necessary security mark.

The news comes after it was revealed East Devon was chosen as one of eight UK constituencies to be monitored as part of an international mission to ensure elections are fair.

The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) has announced that the constituency will be one of its target seats for the general election.

An Election Assessment Mission (EAM) will be conducted in the area from June 4 to 9 by Phillip Paulwell, an MP from Jamaica who will lead a team of Observers from the Commonwealth.

The Mission, which is being arranged by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association UK Branch (CPA UK) as it did in the 2015 and 2010 general elections, will also observe elections in seven other UK constituencies to oversee:

polling
counting
post-election complaints or appeals

The team will compromise of three parliamentarians and one election official from Tonga who will monitor Election Day procedures at polling stations, meet with candidates, returning officers, local officials, community groups and other relevant stakeholders in order to assess the conduct of the election.”

Mark Williams!
Isn’t he a Welsh snooker player?
I’m sure the snooker player could make a far better fist of being EDDC Chief Executive than the inept incumbent with the same name.
We pay this Mickey Mouse character’s salary!
His track record is appalling, he should be sacked, and any pension rights revoked.
Randall Johnson and Diviani owe the electorate of East Devon so much (rest of comment removed for legal reasons)

To make a mistake once with postal votes for the General Election in 2015 is bad enough. But to make a similar mistake at the very next General Election, and to do so after the Electoral Commission had been monitoring your competence during the County council elections only a few weeks earlier and when the International Monitoring team of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association is monitoring this one – just appears completely lazy and incompetent.

And its not like Mark Williams is short of time. He used to be a shared CEO between EDDC and South Somerset DC, but SSDC dispensed with his services a couple of years ago – so he should have ample time to be able to undertake the extra curricula Electoral roles he gets paid extra to do.

IMO it is time for Mark Williams to hand over his electoral responsibilities to someone who will undertake them with greater diligence.